


the dear father would with his daughter speak

by greywardenblue



Series: polished with friction [6]
Category: October Daye Series - Seanan McGuire
Genre: Gen, Spoilers for Book 14: A Killing Frost
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:20:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26363302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greywardenblue/pseuds/greywardenblue
Summary: This fic expands on a certain scene towards the end of A Killing Frost, and the choice Toby had to make.
Relationships: Dianda Lorden/Patrick Lorden/Simon Torquill, October "Toby" Daye & August Torquill, October "Toby" Daye & Simon Torquill
Series: polished with friction [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1455481
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25





	the dear father would with his daughter speak

"I declare my line for Simon Torquill. I shall only ever be of his descent, and Oberon's, for I cannot set my blood aside."

Mom scoffed. "No great loss," she said. "Let Simon found his dynasty on a mongrel child, if that's what he wishes. I release my claim on her."

That stung, it did, but it would have stung more if I hadn't been expecting it. If I hadn't hardened my heart against it before coming here. If I hadn't already accepted this fact.

Tybalt had asked me the previous day if I was sure of my choice. I had thought of how miserable he was after my mother's last stunt, and how Simon had given his blessing to us with joy, and there was no doubt in my mind. Only one of them fit into the family I have created. My mother never cared to be part of it.

I dipped into a bow without looking at my mother, and turned to walk away. A hand shot out and grabbed my arm, and I looked in surprise at August. She was not looking at me. She was not looking at me, but she was holding onto my arm like one would hold onto a lifesaver. I straightened my back and stayed in place.

It was August who left me half a minute later to throw herself in her father's arms, and she caught him. I stood awkwardly as I watched them, and wondered what she would choose. I told myself that I wasn't choosing _for_ Simon - I was choosing _against_ Amandine. I may have declared myself as his daughter earlier when I took on his burden, but that didn't mean we had to be family in anything but the legal sense. Still, with Luna banishing me from Shadowed Hills and Sylvester not stopping her, the prospect of suddenly finding myself without a parent at all was an uneasy thought.

 _You should have been mine_. I closed my eyes against the memory, holding the hot tears back. That was before August came back. When I stood up here, I thought I was ready for both my legal parents preferring my sister over me, I thought I had accepted it, but with August leaving my side and me being rooted to my spot, that spot felt rather lonely. I should have sat down earlier, when I could.

It surprised me, that Simon was trying to convince August to choose our mother. I doubt he expected me to choose him, so that must have meant he was expecting to walk out here with no daughters to his name.

"I declare my line for Simon Torquill," August told the room. "I shall only ever be of his descent, and Oberon's, for I cannot set my blood aside."

My mother screeched with an indignation she did not give me, and my heart ached into it. I would not cry. This was no news: she has abandoned me long before, when I was still a thin-blooded changeling girl without a father. I would not cry.

Not even if I felt like that girl again.

August sobbed in Simon's arms while my mother threw a fit, and was held back by both her own sister and her father. It felt almost anticlimatic.

"As for the rest of you, please remain where you are," the Luidaeg said brightly. "Simon. Would you like a few minutes with your daughters before we move on to the next part?"

Wait. What next part?

"I would appreciate them deeply," Simon said while I looked for Tybalt in the crowd. His face told me he was as confused as I was. I looked for my other friends instead when I heard my name called softly.

"October."

When I turned, Simon was holding August's waist by one arm, his other hand extended towards me. I shook off my confusion and followed the two of them into the hallway.

"What are you doing here?" August demanded, with more confusion than malice. "He's not even your father. He never raised you."

"Well, guess what? Amandine never really raised me either. I figured he can't do any worse." I shrugged, miming an indifference I didn't feel. "I'm sorry I didn't ask you first," I said to Simon. "I didn't give you a chance to..."

"October," he said again, and took my hands in his. "You honor me with your choice. Even if you chose me only as a lesser of two evils, I am honored by it. Without you, I will not be here at all, and I will spend the rest of my life earning this if you let me."

I nodded, and I didn't say anything because I didn't trust my voice. The tears were coming back again.

"But Papa," August asked. "Where are we going to live, if you're leaving Mother? We cannot go to Shadowed Hills."

Simon looked sheepish. "I know where I am going to live, and I know you will always be welcome there. But, my dearest... honestly, I thought you would be choosing your mother." He let go of my hands and his shoulders lowered, like he was finally relaxing. "I hardly dared to hope for this scenario."

"Well, I have a house, so I hope you don't expect me to be moving underwater," I said, and shivered into the thought. I didn't mean it to be a jab, but I still felt a little bad for the guilt that flashed across Simon's face.

"Underwater?" August asked, her voice becoming higher as her confusion grew. "Papa, what is she talking about?"

Simon opened his mouth to answer, but a whistle from inside interrupted him.

"I suppose our time is up," Simon murmured. "August, you will see everything soon. And please, know this... no matter what happens, you will always be my greatest treasure. I will not abandon you after you chose me, even if you choose to live elsewhere."

I wondered where that would be - specifically, I wondered if Luna and Sylvester would welcome August at Shadowed Hills after they rejected me. The worst thing was that I could imagine it. She might have been Simon's daughter, but she was missing for a hundred years, and wasn't around for all the events that Luna is blaming me for causing.

Simon ushered us back into the room, where the Luidaeg was calling Dianda and Patrick to the front. Simon went to join them, and their clothes all changed for a different kind of event altogether. I was about to leave and find my family, but I stopped and look back at August. She looked as lost as I felt when I stayed on my own in front of the crowd, so I took her wrist and pulled her with me. To my surprise, she followed.

"What is going on?" she asked in a whisper, but I didn't feel it necessary to answer. She would figure it out soon enough.

"Land and sea are not often joined," said the Luidaeg. "Shipwrecks are more common than survivors. Why should Faerie honor your request to expand your bridal bed?"

Patrick opened his mouth to answer, but he was stopped by the doors opening with a force, and a powerful voice saying "Stop!"

I recognized the woman who walked in at once, but just like my brain already forgot the face of the man who held back my mother, I knew that most people in the room would not recall her later. I glanced at the Luidaeg, and it didn't fill me with confidence that she looked just as shocked as I felt as the woman marched up towards her. Dianda looked like she was going to be sick, and Patrick looked like he might faint. Worst of all, Simon looked resigned, like he didn't expect success anyway.

"Captain," the Luidaeg said, although I had a feeling that wasn't what she wanted to say. "Are you here to raise an objection?"

"What?" Amphitrite - or Captain Pete, based on her attire - looked genuinely surprised. "No, of course not. Are you mixing me up with someone? I'm here to officiate."

The Luidaeg looked surprised for a moment longer, then she shrugged and stepped out of the way. Amphitrite took her place in front of the triad, and smiled brightly.

"Now, where were we?"

"How did she get here?" I whispered to the Luidaeg as she sat down next to me.

"I called her," she said, her eyes still on her sister. "Although not for this event."

"Dianda, my dear," Amphitrite said, focusing on her descendant. "You already impressed me once by finding a worthy husband among the Daoine Sidhe." The Luidaeg and I both snorted at that, but I don't think anyone else heard. I definitely heard some appalled whispering, however. Amphitrite was unaffected. "What makes you think you can pull it off twice?"

Dianda raised her head and looked her Firstborn in the eyes. "I knew when I allowed Patrick to court me that he came as a package deal with the man he called 'brother' only because Amandine forbade him to use the word 'lover'. I've survived a century in the Undersea with a Daoine Sidhe by my side. I can handle a few centuries more with the two of them."

Amphitrite nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Patrick. You have earned my approval once. Convince me to give it again."

"Simon Torquill is the only person in this world I've loved longer than I've loved my wife," Patrick said without hesitation. "We would have included him when we were first wed, had he not been married to a woman who didn't share."

Amphitrite nodded again, then she turned towards Simon, and her eyes narrowed. "Simon," she said, like she was tasting the word. He straightened his back, and I wondered if he knew who was standing before him. He must have. He wasn't an idiot. "We haven't met, but I have heard much of you. What makes you think you are worthy to enter a marriage I have already blessed?"

That question sounded a bit harsher than the previous two. Simon must have felt it too, but he met her gaze anyway. "I don't have a good argument for you," he said. "I can only tell you that I've loved Patrick Lorden longer than I've loved anyone else, except for Amy and August, and I can't be with Amy anymore. I need a place to rest. I need peace. Dianda and I may not love each other yet, but I have faith that we will. Just give us the time we need."

Amphitrite nodded a third time, and there was a moment of silence. Then she smiled. "Are your sons in attendance today?" she asked, perhaps with more enthusiasm than warranted, and I remembered how ecstatic she was when she found out that Dianda not only married a Daoine Sidhe, but mixed their bloodlines together, _twice_.

I couldn't help but notice the parallel between the two events of the night. My mother did unspeakable things to my fiancé, and my - legal - father blessed our marriage. Now, Dianda's Firstborn was conducting a marriage that would give Eira, the Firstborn of both her husbands indigestion. I had a feeling that was exactly why Amphitrite came to take this honor from the Luidaeg.

Afterwards, it went easier. I may have been worried about the Lorden boys or August not accepting the marriage - especially after it was sprung on August with no warning - but at the end of the day, we all wanted our families to be happy. And this time, it really seemed like we were on the way to staying that way.

Tybalt pulled me closer and kissed me on the mouth, and later, as I was about to get more cake, Patrick pulled me into a group hug with my newfound parents and all four of my siblings. That would take some getting used to, but right now, I wouldn't have changed it for the world.


End file.
